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Mum, 32, Diagnosed With Cancer Aged 21 Was Told If She Went On Holiday She'd Die

Gemma Bertie was first diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 21 and, after going into remission, she started suffering with 'severe' back pain and a secondary cancer was found in her spine

Gemma and Kieran Bertie with their daughters Evangeline, three, and Eleanor, two (

Image: Bertie family)

A brave mum-of-two is making every moment count after a heartbreaking health diagnosis that said she doesn't have long left.

Gemma Bertie was first diagnosed with lung cancer when she was just 21 years old and now, 10 years later, the disease has spread to her spine and bones and can't be cured. Her two daughters, three year old Evangeline and two year old Eleanor, don't know their mum will soon have to say goodbye for good.

When Gemma was first taken ill at 21, she had symptoms for a couple of years before she went to the hospital with a fever. The doctors thought she had pneumonia, kept her in overnight and gave her some medicine. They told her to come back if she still felt poorly after finishing the antibiotics.

Gemma said previously: "So I went back [to hospital] because I was still having problems and at first they thought an X-ray was showing pleurisy [sharp chest pain]. They said it probably wasn't cancer because I was too young.", reports the Manchester Evening News.

Gemma, a hair stylist from Huyton, was diagnosed with a rare cancer called Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma. She once shared: "I was on my own and a lovely doctor asked if there was anyone with me. My mum was in the car park but I said I was fine - and they called a specialist nurse to come in. I asked why she was holding my hand and then they gave me the news.

"I wanted to still go on my holiday but the doctor said if I went, I would die. He said I was going to come back with a collapsed lung that would complicate everything." After having most of her right lung removed and getting radiotherapy every day for six weeks, Gemma was okay for a few years. But the cancer came back in her spine about 10 years later.

She had surgery to stop it from making her unable to move. Now, the cancer has spread too much to be cured, and it's in her bones in many places. Gemma's friends and family are supporting her, her husband Kieran, and their two little girls, Evangeline and Eleanor.

Harrison Ross, a friend, said: "Gemma is a fantastic mother to her two children and she has been great with Kieran as well. Everything she has gone through she is really brave. She still gives life a go despite all of what she is going through." Friends of Gemma and Kieran are going to climb the Yorkshire three peaks to get money so the family can make "final memories with their two young babies before she passes".

On the JustGiving page, James Jones, a friend, wrote: "Gemma is an amazing mum to two young babies, Evangeline, three, and Eleanor, two, who are unaware that their dear mum will leave them soon forever. This is a heartbreaking situation where every bit of extra time is a blessing to them."

He also said: "We hope that by doing this, we can bring some joy and happiness to Gemma and her family, and make the most of the time they have left together." If you want to visit the JustGiving page, click here.

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